Ok, so the FSTB on custommaxima.com is only $35... as opposed to the Stillen at $187... I realize the Stillen FSTB is going to be better quality, but it's a pretty simple structure, so I'm thinking the custommaxima one probably yields similar improvements. Anyone tried the custommaxima FSTB? What does everyone think?

 

Get a vibrant racing one, mine was around $50 shipped and it's built just as good as the stillen one.

 

The strut bar on my 4th gen is a custommaxima.com one and after a couple of years the paint is peeling pretty bad. Other than that it works fine.

 

Had the Custom Maxima FSTB on my 01 AE since 2003, no problems at all! no complaints! Definitely worth the $$

 

Idk if they released a new one, but I have one I purchased back in 06. It does it's job. Back then, my $59 were spent better than on a Stillen FSTB, so I'm happy with mine.

 

Both of yours are the Vibrant Racing one they had before this new one.

 

Ive had my custommaxima.com FSTB for about a year and I think it as worth every penny. I dont know if the one they are currently selling is the same version but mine is a nice, soild bar, and the mounts are pretty solid too...I noticed turn-in and stability during high speed cornering (>70 km/h) was also a lot better with the FSTB

heres a pic:

 

im going to fab my own. A lot of the ones now (whether you spend $30 or $200) dont have the thick brackets like they should...aside from the Cattman Ti-bar if you can find it.

I had a CE bar on my 4th gen for 4 years...that was a good bar. Ive seen the new ones CM sells..not the same quality

B

 

vibrant doesn't make the FSTB anymore, the old custom maxima one was made by vibrant BTY

 

when they were CE?

that was a good bar

B

 

Um... Racingline Performance.

But if you do fabricate your own, document the process. It would make for good reading. Maybe you'll start a trend.

 

for Racingline. I've had mine for years.

 

that does look like a good one.

I wouldnt be fabbing my own if i couldnt do it for free. of course its going to be all steel. so weight will be an issue but again for free itll be a fun experiment

B

 

That's because they're using my engine bay pic on their website. (heh heh)

Shameless... I know.

 

really? thats cool.

wanna help me out by giving me some measurement if you have time?

B

 

Sure, no problem. What kind of measurement are you referring to?

 

the length of the bar
that height of the stacks (for lack of a better word) on the brackets
that angle of the stacks
the angle of the bar at the ends that sit in the brackets
the distance between the bottom of the bar and whatever sits underneath it
the thickness of the bar and brackets
the width between the stacks on the brackets

that should be about it.

B

 

Holy crap. I can't do all that. I can take some simple measurements, and some close-up pictures... but "angle of the bar"?

Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a mechanical engineer!

The thing immediately under the bar is the upper intake manifold. More specifically, it's where the upper IM and the intake plenum meet. That gap varies from FSTB to FSTB, and it can also vary depending on your engine mount bushings. Clearance is a common concern, particularly with phenolic spacers. Although really, it's rarely an issue.

[edit] Here's a thought: buy a really cheap FSTB off ebay, and use that as the baseline for fabrication of a more sturdy design.

 

LOL....thats understandable. simple measurements are a big help. but if you could take a measurement of the entire length of the bar and then the length of the bar where it starts to angle...with that i can use SOACAHTOA and come up with the angles myself

B

 

John, thats pretty sweet they used your bay for their demo pic.

Do you know whose engine bay the other picture is? Check out the intake and snorkel. Pretty sweet system.

Sorry to get off topic.

 

I don't know what that is. (Could that be an Altima SE?) It's got the 5.5 engine cover, but everything else is not quite right. The radiator brackets are different, there's some kind of material around the strut towers, the battery is sideways, and that snorkel is nothing I've ever seen before.

 

OMG.....I didnt even realize it wasnt a maxima :

I just noticed the snorkel and intake and thought it looks like a decent CAI setup.

 

it's a 6th gen, or at least he has a 6th gen rad

 

That FSTB from Racingline Performance is a decent price....

 

Some pics. Excuse the winter crap, and the rusty strut nuts. (New struts in a few weeks, so...)

 

do you think the fact that the bar is bolted in to the brackets is a key component or just simply done that way for ease of install?

i would think one welded piece would be stronger and allow for more resistance...thoughts?

B

 

^^^
You know, I don't think it matters. But I'm no mechanical engineer.

 

I have an 00, where do I get a decent, well priced FSTB?

Nothing fancy. Just want to know if this thing works well with our Max.

 

I've thought about that as well. As long as you tighten the bolt enough that it wont slip under load, its just as good as welding. But what the required torque is to achieve that is anyone's guess.

 

i was thinking along those same lines. now i just need to take some measurement under my hood, find a think piece of steel and get to fabricating.

would everyone agree that the angle of the end of the bar appears to be between 15-25 degrees?

B

 

CustomMaxima still sells the FSTB for $50 shipped.

Fleabay has them for $30 shipped. Are the Fleabay ones any good?

For $20 difference I can see how sturdier the the CustomMaxima is.

 

I have the Custom maxima one, have had it since 2001 so no complaints... Buy CM and save the rest of the money.....

 

I am a Mechanical Engineer and I can tell you that the above is robustly designed, comparing it to the ones I have seen earlier and the ones being sold in fleabay.

However I can not tell if one is really outperforming the other. You would think that it will. Robustly designed means tha factor of safety is higher, means it will do the job guaranteed. Whether the one being sold by CustomMaxima or Fleabay is doing the job...it might well be.

 

Comparing CustomMaxima and Fleabay FSTB, there's not much difference. One uses a flat stock and the other a billet (round) bar.

The forces on a strut bar can be downward and upward. More on upward when you are turning. The whole body is leaning on the strut. This upward force is being transferred via the FSTB link to the other tower, making it rigid and one piece. Hence better handling. JM2C.

 

can you answer my question about whether welded or bolted is better?

B

 

Bolted is a better design. Welds can break. Keep in mind the frame that holds the bolts are welded to the body-link eventually.

 

i dont understand what you mean by the last part...im slow...lol

B

 

You have 2 parts. The frame-link and the strut brace. The frame has to attach to the brace. This is by bolts and should have a way to adjust, length wise, you will see a bolt for adjustment.

The brace connection is welded. That's what I meant. Do not make a brace that is all welded.

 

Vibrant racing? Any links? Thanks.

 

Rochester, what's your FSTB? Yours is the best design.